AI as co-author? With Sidekick, Google is introducing a powerful partner for your texts

With Sidekick, Google announces a function that supports you in writing texts. (Image: www_slon_pics via Pixabay)

The new AI function Sidekick was presented at yesterday’s Google I/O. This is a function that simplifies working with text documents. The AI ​​reads documents that are being created – and makes suggestions as to how a text could continue, or summarizes a text if desired. Furthermore, Sidekick should help to create better prompts.

A presentation by Sidekick can be found in the following video from minute 37:00:

Link to YouTube content

How does Sidekick work?

Sidekick presents itself as a sidebar within a text document.

Create better prompts: Sidekick can help generate more appropriate prompts. Prompts are text inputs that are used to create AI-powered content – effectively, the commands you give a text AI.

A little science has arisen around entering prompts. AI enthusiasts share tips and tricks to follow when typing prompts.

Write simple texts – and illustrate them appropriately: You are writing a text – and suddenly suffer from writer’s block. Once you have reached this dead end, artificial intelligence can take over for you in the future.

Because: When Sidekick is called up at such a moment, the AI ​​continues to write your text – at the push of a button, so to speak.

The AI-supported writing of texts can look like this in everyday life, for example:

An application example presented at the I/O is the writing of e-mails. In this case, Sidekick not only analyzes what you enter into the text mask – but also any existing, attached or linked documents. The analysis performed by Sidekick covers an entire mail history. Sidekick also uses older information that is relevant to current correspondence.

A concrete example is a planned celebration with friends – where you should take care of the food and drink. Based on previous e-mail communication, Sidekick will offer you suitable culinary ideas (Greek salad, tofu sausage salad, brownies with pieces of cashew).

Test Sidekick yourself: You can already try out Sidekick via Google Labs. It is not yet known when the function will be integrated regularly.

Editor’s Opinion

Patrick You can: To rate Google’s Sidekick feature as awesome or superfluous (or anything in between) would be premature. With the appropriate functionality, however, Sidekick would take care of writing numerous standard emails – which I personally welcome. I embrace the conceivable time savings this can bring.

What do you think of Google’s recently introduced Sidekick feature? Was Sidekick the highlight of Google I/O for you, or are you more hungry for the new Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet releases? Write us your opinion in the comments.